Tab for Opiate

`Transcribed by Paul D. (pdmytrewycz@music.transy.edu)`

Here's my attempt at figuring out one of the coolest songs I've ever heard, Tool's "Opiate" from the album of the same name. I first heard it last year and immediately tried to figure it out, but for some damn reason (it seems so silly to me now) I couldn't fucking get it. Then over Thanksgiving break I bought the "Prison Sex" CD single because there was a bunch of live stuff as b-sides which included "Opiate" live. So I listened again, picked up my guitar, and instantly figured it out. I don't know why it came so easy the second time, but here it is. In case you're wondering, the song is mocking religious leaders (no one specific, just in general). The title comes from a quote from Karl Marx: "Religion is the opiate of the people."


Some notes on my tab:
pm - palm mute
nh - natural harmonics


Bass intro:
  nh..
|-5----------|--------|
|---5--------|--------|
|------------|--------|
|-----5-7~~~-|-5-7~~~-|

Main riff (verse and chorus):
    pm.....
||----------------------------||
||----------------------------||
||*--4-4-4-4---4-------------*||
||*--4-4-4-4---4-2---2-2-3-3-*||
||-0h2-2-2-2---2-2---2-2-3-3--||
||---------------0---0-0-1-1--||

Lead guitar over main riff:
|--------------------------|
|--------------------------|
|-4-4-4-4-4/9-9-9/10-10-10-|
|-4-4-4-4-4/9-9-9/10-10-10-|
|--------------------------|
|--------------------------|

"My god's will, becomes me...":
|-------------|
|-3-3-----3-3-|
|-2-2-----2-2-|
|-0-0-----0-0-|
|-0-0-----0-0-|
|-------------|

Noisy part after "We both want to rape you!":
|-------------|-5-5-5---5-4---4-|
|-3-3-----3-3-|-3-3-3---3-3---3-|
|-2-2-----2-2-|-2-2-2---2-2---2-|
|-0-0-----0-0-|-0-0-0---0-0---0-|
|-0-0-----0-0-|-----------------|
|-------------|-----------------|

If you've heard the song enough, you should be able to piece it together
from what I have here.  I don't think there's much else.  There's a little
bit of bending and string-scraping and other such noise right before the
second chorus and in the outro, but nothing a guitarist who wishes to learn
this song can't ad lib himself...



Questions, CONSTRUCTIVE comments, augmentations welcome,
Flames intelligently rebuked (if I feel like it).
If you are religiously against this song, I really don't care so don't
email me or post about it, just don't play it...
Good luck!  Paul D.